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No more police abuse, claims Chief of Police 0:36
Washington (CNN) - More than 1,000 active and retired professional athletes have signed a letter to Congress calling for an end to qualified immunity, a legal doctrine that athletes say is protecting police from accountability.
NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Drew Brees, as well as NBA head coaches Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich join a long list of athletes, coaches and office officials from the NFL, the NBA and the Major League Baseball is seeking the approval of a bill proposed by Representatives Justin Amash and Ayanna Pressley.
"When police officers kill an unarmed man, when they beat a woman, or when they shoot a child, the people of this country must have a way to hold them accountable in a court of law," says the letter published by the Players Coalition this Wednesday. "A legal system that does not provide such a resource is illegitimate."
In recent years, legal experts, judges and judges from all sides of the ideological spectrum have criticized the legal doctrine known as "qualified immunity", arguing that it is not based on the proper legal authorities and all too often protects officials of responsibility.
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A possible reexamination of the doctrine comes as the United States is recovering from the recent death of several black Americans at the hands of the police, including George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis last month after a white police officer knelt on his neck. for more than eight minutes. Widespread protests across the country have called for a codified change in the way the law treats the black community.
The Supreme Court may soon decide whether to take a closer look at legal doctrine, but lawmakers are seeking a solution through Congress. Amash and Pressley introduced the legislation to end qualified immunity last week.
Amash and Pressley say ending the qualified immunity would restore Americans' ability to get relief when their rights are violated. Proponents argue that it protects a police officer's ability to make a quick decision during potentially dangerous situations.
"The Supreme Court has caused irreparable damage to public confidence by creating and then expanding the doctrine of qualified immunity," the letter says. "In their pain, people have taken to the streets because for too long their government has been unable to protect them. Courts and elected officials alike have protected people who caused unspeakable damage. ”
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According to the doctrine, an agent will not be responsible even if he violates the Constitution unless he has been "clearly established" in previous cases that his conduct was unconstitutional.
That requires a high bar and makes it difficult to win unless the situation is similar to a previous case with almost identical facts. In some cases with unique fact patterns, of which there are many, police officers have been granted immunity even if they have been found to have acted in violation of the Constitution.
The athletes' letter also mentions the scene last Monday night, when authorities forcibly expelled peaceful protesters before President Donald Trump's photo shoot at a local church.
"There is a problem. The world witnessed when Agent Chauvin killed George Floyd, and the world is watching him now, as police officers unleash enormous force on peaceful protesters like those who stood outside the White House last week, "states the Players Coalition. in the letter.
“The time for debate about uncontrolled police authority is over; now is the time for change ”.
NFL stars Carson Wentz and Odell Beckham, Jr., signed the letter, as did retired athletes Troy Vincent, Tony Gonzalez, Bruce Smith, and Tony Gwynn, Jr.
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